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| 101 years since posted in 2019 Veterans Day Weekend Armistice Day |
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| Division Headquarters ~ Camp McCoy |
Jan 22, 1943
Friday night 7:00
Dear Mom & All,
Have had a couple of letters from you but have not received my package you sent. Gee, has it been cold out here. To-day was the best day we have had. Then it was a little hazy overhead. It was quite warm. Wish the sun would shine more. I am getting back in the grind again with a little more pep. My throat feels nearly O.K. It is so hard to go out in that cold air early in the morning with a sore throat. You start to cough and then your throat starts to bleed. {It is hard enough to be away from home when you are feeling great and the weather is beautiful. However, when the weather is cold, dark, gloomy and uncomfortable plus you feel sick physically; the feeling of being homesick becomes stronger I am sure.}
I have told you all my good ranks so why not tell you my bad ones. We had a tough test the other day. I made 78%. Could be better but not too bad. {Knowing my Eagle Scout Uncle and seeing his tremendous high school notebooks done in wonderful writing and drawings, he is NOT happy at all with his grade.} We are having a lot of gas drills. About everyday. Expect to go through the gas chamber next week. The instructor said we could pay attention or not but -- If we didn't know how to put our gas mask on right when in the chamber ,we'd wish to God we had. He said we would be damn sick. I'm not worrying. Feel sure I can make it O.K. I'm trying to do what I should. That's the way to make less mistakes.
Had a letter from Flavilla {sister} to-nite with two pictures. One with David {nephew b. 1938} with the tin hat I bought him. Another of John {nephew b. 1941}. Gee, they were swell. Oh, Ma, please send me a good picture of Helen. The boys like to have a good picture of their sister then show it to the other boys. I think Helen can beat them all. {youngest sister who was quite a character}. Send one of Eugene. Send one of you and Dad. Well, send what you like. Wish I could take some and send them home but all cameras have been ordered off the post or camp. If I ever leave camp I'll have some taken and send them home.
Margaret Dinsmore down to S. D. Warren sent me a letter and the Portland Sunday paper {largest paper for the state of Maine}. Told me to send back news if I wanted any candy, nuts, cookies or the paper every week. She said it would be a few days late but I could read the news. Well, I don't like to ask for anything. If anyone wants to send anything O.K. If not, I'll make out without it.
Some of the boys are headed for trouble unless they do different. The Lt. said he had stood all the shit he was going to take. Boy, it's going hard with some. Guess they'll have to learn the hard way. Let me tell you some nights you go to bed at 9 and go right to sleep. Get up at 6 and wish you had more time to sleep. If you don't sleep a night you feel it the next day. You have to put all you've got into this week.
Have you heard from Helen? You know Helen Ladd. {old girlfriend} The other night I woke up a dozen times. I kept dreaming about about Helen. {his present girlfriend, Pauline, wouldn't like to hear that}.
I hear the mill, S. D. Warren, is running good. Gee, wish Eugene could work on a farm and stay home. Will try and write Eugene and Helen {siblings} Sunday. Tell Helen I'm not getting fat but hard as a rock and will give her old man a pounding if he's not good. {her boyfriend, Joe}. Was that doll, The Army Nurse, the one Helen Ladd's mother told you to get?
Guess I will close now and write later. Keep your chin up, Mother. I'm O.K. Tell Dad I'm thinking about him and try to keep up his health. Everything is going to be O.K. So long. Helen and Eugene be good.
With Love,
Charlie
P.S. Hard to write laying on the bed with just a piece of card board to write on. Hope you can read.
^^Jan 22 Allied Joint Chiefs of Staff determine invasion of Sicily for July 10th. ^^Jan 23 British 8th army marches into Tripoli and the Japanese Mount Austen on Guadalcanal captured
Had a letter from Flavilla {sister} to-nite with two pictures. One with David {nephew b. 1938} with the tin hat I bought him. Another of John {nephew b. 1941}. Gee, they were swell. Oh, Ma, please send me a good picture of Helen. The boys like to have a good picture of their sister then show it to the other boys. I think Helen can beat them all. {youngest sister who was quite a character}. Send one of Eugene. Send one of you and Dad. Well, send what you like. Wish I could take some and send them home but all cameras have been ordered off the post or camp. If I ever leave camp I'll have some taken and send them home.
Margaret Dinsmore down to S. D. Warren sent me a letter and the Portland Sunday paper {largest paper for the state of Maine}. Told me to send back news if I wanted any candy, nuts, cookies or the paper every week. She said it would be a few days late but I could read the news. Well, I don't like to ask for anything. If anyone wants to send anything O.K. If not, I'll make out without it.
Some of the boys are headed for trouble unless they do different. The Lt. said he had stood all the shit he was going to take. Boy, it's going hard with some. Guess they'll have to learn the hard way. Let me tell you some nights you go to bed at 9 and go right to sleep. Get up at 6 and wish you had more time to sleep. If you don't sleep a night you feel it the next day. You have to put all you've got into this week.
Have you heard from Helen? You know Helen Ladd. {old girlfriend} The other night I woke up a dozen times. I kept dreaming about about Helen. {his present girlfriend, Pauline, wouldn't like to hear that}.
I hear the mill, S. D. Warren, is running good. Gee, wish Eugene could work on a farm and stay home. Will try and write Eugene and Helen {siblings} Sunday. Tell Helen I'm not getting fat but hard as a rock and will give her old man a pounding if he's not good. {her boyfriend, Joe}. Was that doll, The Army Nurse, the one Helen Ladd's mother told you to get?
Guess I will close now and write later. Keep your chin up, Mother. I'm O.K. Tell Dad I'm thinking about him and try to keep up his health. Everything is going to be O.K. So long. Helen and Eugene be good.
With Love,
Charlie
P.S. Hard to write laying on the bed with just a piece of card board to write on. Hope you can read.
^^Jan 21 Soviet forces reconquer
Worosjilowsk and reconquer Gumrak airport near Stalingrad
^^Admiral
Sir Andrew Cunningham, Royal Navy, promoted to Admiral of the Fleet.
Admiral of the Fleet Andrew Browne Cunningham, 1st Viscount
Cunningham of Hyndhope, KT, GCB, OM, DSO & Two Bars was a senior
officer of the Royal Navy during the Second World War. He was widely
known by his nickname, "ABC".
 |
| Admiral Sir Cunningham |
^^Jan 22 Allied Joint Chiefs of Staff determine invasion of Sicily for July 10th. ^^Jan 23 British 8th army marches into Tripoli and the Japanese Mount Austen on Guadalcanal captured
This post was published on the weekend of Nov 11, 2019
*Source
1
https://www.thoughtco.com/world-war-ii-battles-2361453
*Source
2
https://americasbesthistory.com/timeline2ndworldwar1943.html
for major battles
**Source
3
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1943_in_the_United_States
^^Source
4
https://www.onthisday.com/events/date/1943
##Source
5
https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/us-home-front-during-world-war-ii
copyright
of letters and any original material Peter Lagasse
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